It offers education for students aged 11–19. ATTFE College, the school's sixth form, also offer a range of level 2 and 3 courses, including GCSEs and BTECs.
Opened in September 1964 as, with Kirkby in Ashfiled Comprehensive School, the first Nottinghamshire County Comprehensives - Fairham Comprehensive School in Nottingham had preceded them, then the School immediately proved to be a high quality "Community Provision" at a time when the village and neighbouring Edwinstowe and Bilsthorpe - who provided young people as pupils at the school - were thriving mining communities. The School/College/Academy therefore celebrates its 49th anniversary in 2014.
In 2009, The Dukeries was included in controversial plans to cut funding. Nottinghamshire County Council proposed to cut £380,000 of the schools budget to save money.[5] There is a current campaign underway to stop these cuts from happening.
The attached Leisure Centre (owned by NSDC) received an extension to include a new swimming pool in 2020, and the structure was built and completed in 2021. The pool was officially opened by Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington.